CALUMET — In response to a request from Village Manager Amber Goodman made earlier this month, she received an email response American Legal Publishing (ALP) addressing the village’s current codification status, along with an existing codification contract between the village and ALP.

Goodman told the council that she explained to ALP that the village attorney would not be able to complete a necessary review.

The email response said in part that because the village and ALP were now so far behind schedule, the best way to proceed on the project would be to send everything Goodman had from the village attorney to ALP, as well as any ordinances passed in the last two years.

Based on ALP’s response, Goodman said that she (the New Code Department Director of ALP) was under the impression that the village already had some work done on the codification process, adding: “but, really we don’t at this point.”

Codification helps the municipal legislative body from enacting redundant or inconsistent new ordinances, and permits the council or board to view the body of law as a whole and note any gaps in coverage which may need legislation.

The Village Council encountered an unusual circumstance last August while it was in the process of repealing old, now effective ordinances dating back to when the village was organized. Among those repealed was a current and necessary ordinance granting SEMCO Gas Co. rights and power to operate in the village.

The materials ALP requested from Goodman could then be used to incorporate that information, update any legal report, suggested state and federal cite revisions and complete a working code.

“So, basically,” Goodman said, “she’s saying that we need to update those if we want to proceed.”

Village Attorney Jim Tercha, who serves the village pro bono, said that ALP’s check list recommended a number of revisions on a number of ordinances.

“To the extent that those ordinances remain in the packet that they’re going to work with to complete the codification,” Tercha said, “that work is going to have to be done. They’re recommending certain changes of ordinances. You’re going to have to go through ordinance by ordinance to make the changes.”

Tercha said ALP sent a document in January of last year that he reviewed.

“And there’s like a laundry list of recommended changes and do this and do that to bring these ordinances up to date,” he said. “So, that’s where the attorney’s work is involved.”

Goodman said it is a legal document, so it might be better to view it in the office before the council enacts the changes.”

Tercha suggested that as long as the council does not have any new ordinances under consideration in the next 90 days, before the council moves forward, they should first address two ordinances currently in question.

The council took no action on the matter.